Depression - think of it as suffering

Look up depression in a Bible concordance and usually you find nothing. So one might conclude the Bible really is old, outdated and irrelevant. But if we stop and ponder a bit further what depression is we can find out that it is one way in which people suffer. Those who are depressed often speak of pain,darkness, numbness, and worthlessness as their constant companions. Several quotes support the idea that depression is a form of human suffering.

“I felt like I was walking through a fieldof dead flowers and found one beautiful rose, but when I bent down to smell itI fell into an invisible hole.” (Ed Welch, Depression)

“I am now the most miserable manliving. If what I feel equallydistributed to the whole human family, there would not be one cheerful face on earth.” (Ed Welch, Depression)

And the followup question becomes, "Does the Bible deal with suffering?" and the answer is "certainly". In truth the Bible addresses suffering like no other source of wisdom. But understanding and applying wisdom from the Bible to depression as a form of suffering is monumental. If a person is struggling with depression they most always will need others around them to guide them in applying the wisdom of God to their situation. And the friends will need better insight than the likes of Jobs friends. They were convinced his depression (suffering) was directly related to some sin Job had overlooked. They saw depression as a spiritual issue wrongly.

Ed Welch in his book Depression - Looking up from the stubborn darkness speaks of the spiritual nature of depression in the following way:

"Depression does not necessarily have a spiritual cause, if by spiritual, we mean that it is caused by our own sin. But there is a broader meaning to the word spiritual, and, in this sense, your depression is always and profoundly spiritual. Spiritual can refer to the very center of ourbeing where our basic allegiances are worked out. Who is God? Do we trust Him? Why is He allowing this to happen to me? How can I trust Him when He seems so remote and unresponsive? These are spiritual questions that, in manyways, identify us as human beings" (p.20).

So, briefly what might be some of what the Bible says about suffering? James 1:2-4 is a set of verses that are helpful for addressing suffering. First James says a person is to count it all joy to face all kinds of trials. All kinds of trials implies many sources for suffering or depression. And the list for the source of suffering includes at least, ones self, other people, our bodies, Satan, and even God. And knowing what is the source for my depression is often one of the ways a biblical counselor can be of help. And the second helpful advice James gives is to see the suffering/depression as a testing of your faith.

Without giving a great amount of detail let me say my experience with having Parkinson's Disease could easily be the source for depression. Some days I feel pretty blue about it all. And I have a choice right then between crying out to God in faith or not. When I cry out to God in faith I know it is time to consider what I am experiencing as joy, not that I am happy to be suffering but joyful that I can learn perseverance by trusting God as we together go though the trial. I don't ask, "why is this happening?" I simply ask, "What aspect of perseverance do I need to understand better as I go forward serving you in this way?" And it works!

Lest I leave you with the impression I am ignorant and have really oversimplified what depression is let me say depression is not an easy way to be nor is it easy to beat. Someone with depression or suffering needs help. I recommend a biblical counselor. But what about a doctor and antidepressants? Great question. A great resource to help you with this question is Ed Welch. Mdiv., PhD. Ed is a licensed psychologist and faculty member at the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF). Two books in particular I recommend are Depression (Iv'e referenced it in this article already) and Blame it on the brain? But to give a sneak preview of what you will find let me close with a lengthy quote from his book Depression.

"Most current thinking tends to miss the spiritual essence of depression. (Keep in mind that this doesn't mean that there is always a spiritual cause of depression. It means that depression is always accompanied by questions about God, ourselves, hope and meaning.) Modern approaches specialize instead in physical treatments, and they, too, can lighten the physical experience of depression such as the lethargy, problems concentrating, and even the emotions themselves. The basic rule is this: physical treatments can possibly alleviate physical symptoms, and when depression is raging most people would be delighted to take the edge off some of the physical symptoms; but physical treatments do not treat the guilt, fear, self loathing, and other distinctly spiritual symptoms. Antidepressant medications . . . will not give you hope, but they might make you feel less miserable" (p. 190).

As a biblical counselor I do not deal with the medical end of depression except to recommend a person with depression see their medical doctor. I do not prescribe medication nor do I recommend clients to go off medications.

My goal is to address the spiritual side of depression in order to find the source, address it, and see wholeness restored. "The Lord is my Shepherd . . . He restores my soul. . ." (Psalm 23). That is what I'm talking about!